There's an upside to this. It can be used politically as an argument against backdoors for "lawful access"[1] to encrypted data.
replies(6):
https://apnews.com/article/congress-data-breach-hack-identit...
The way the system is supposed to work is that engaged citizenry actively overhaul unjust laws and apparatuses, and the police then enforce those new laws.
Unfortunately we have abysmally low civic engagement in most of the western world which leads to the mess we are currently in.
I like to make fun of the French as much as anyone else but I really respect and admire the French people's propensity for protest and to stand up for what they believe. That's advanced citizenship in action.
I'll agree that the citizens of France feel empowered while Americans feel disempowered. And empowerment is a natural consequence of identification with control of larger structures.
Most Americans don't feel like they have any control over larger structures in their countries.
It's also completely ineffective, because the government can just ignore them when they get bored, and they don't actually get voted out or anything.
This is called "working the refs" or "talking their book".
Americans' main interest in local government is blocking new housing project to pump their property values. So no matter what happens they just say there weren't enough meetings about it and the project needs to be cancelled because it didn't get community input.
You don't have to believe them on larger political topics for the same reason you don't have to believe them here.
Ironic considering the gun narrativr
If you want a rep to know your opinion on something you can call them.
The point of a protest is for when they're not listening to you, which is why they feature more in not-officially-democratic politics like dictatorships. But for that to work, it has to be so large they can't ignore you. (Otherwise, if they're small and still work through being annoying it's minority rule, which isn't democratic. But like I said that doesn't happen because you can just ignore them.)
All politics depends on popular support because your subjects can either leave the country or have you killed if they really don't like you. Democratic politics means there's official channels for exercising this by voting instead of having to do this.
You'll be disappointed then. The French are protesting for benefits and not for social change. Aka, they are not better than the police they are engaging with.
Actually, I think there is one - government media. CBC/BBC/etc should cover these instead of covering them up. If they represented the citizens voices honestly, they might not feel they have to blockade parliament to get their point across.
> Democratic politics means there's official channels for exercising this by voting instead of having to do this.
That breaks down a bit when your media only presents one side of certain issues.
There's no requirement for corporate media to be honest, but for state media paid for by the citizens that's basically its only purpose.
> If you want a rep to know your opinion on something you can call them.
You can contact them, but if you can't do it in public others won't know and they can basically kill issues by just ignoring them.
We need to steelman the views of our countrymen, not mock them.
Think of what they'd say about your side if the tables were turned.